Features

Dear Guitar Hero: Lee Malia of Bring Me the Horizon Talks Gear, Inspiration, Gary Moore and More

Kory Grow — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:57:52 +0000

He’s the guitarist for one of England’s most dangerous metalcore bands. But what Guitar World readers really want to know is …

I’m really excited to hear your new album, Sempiternal. What can you tell us about it? Will there be more solos on it than on your last album [2010’s There Is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let’s Keep It a Secret]? — Gernot Musker

We have a new member in the band, [keyboardist] Jordan Fish, and he made it easy for me to write with him. Because he’s doing a lot of digital stuff, like keyboard parts and making beats, I was able to do more experimental, ambient-sounding parts, using effects in verses. I liked that I didn’t have to play the main rhythm riff all the time, because he did it on the keys. Overall, there’s a lot more twiddly things, but not necessarily solos. I play little bits, but nothing like a classic-rock solo.

I can’t seem to find an answer to why guitarist Jona Weinhofen left the band. Can you set the record straight for your fans? — Azrul Aiman Jinih Matrin

I can’t. Sorry. We’re not allowed to comment on it for legal reasons, so that’s probably why you can’t find an answer.

I have noticed your sound has changed a lot since you recorded Suicide Season [BMTH’s 2008 breakthrough album]. What kind of amp setup do you use for recording now? — Jessica-Lyn Saunders

I use a Marshall JCM 800 and a Marshall speaker cabinet. My main overdrive pedal on the CD is a Klon Centaur, and that’s the core of my sound. I don’t use that pedal live, though. At concerts, I use a Fulltone OCD Overdrive, because the Klon is so hard to get a hold of. The one I used belonged to the studio, but the company has stopped making them. They’re worth about £700 [$1,062] on eBay. The OCD is closest I can find to the Klon.

I fell in love with your First Act Custom Sheena guitar the moment I saw it. You never seem to play it anymore. You’ve switched to Les Paul Standards at live shows. Why did you change it up? — Mitch

It’s because I started working with Gibson. They were cool enough to give me some guitars, so I started playing them live. I’ve still got my First Act Sheena, though, and I played it on some of the songs on the new album. My main guitars in the studio were a Les Paul Standard, the First Act Sheena and a semihollow Rickenbacker that worked great for clean sounds.

Onstage, I’m using a Les Paul Standard and a Les Paul Supreme. The songs I wrote on the Sheena sound great on the Les Paul, because I use the same pickup in each guitar: a Bare Knuckle Warpig. I love the fit of the Les Paul, as well as the thickness of the neck and the overall weight of the guitar. I use a really thick set of strings [a custom .080-gauge set from Ernie Ball], so the Les Paul’s higher frets help with that.

Why do you use such massive guitar-string gauges? — Eric Bauer

I was playing normal strings for ages. We tune low, to C standard or drop-As, so I started using a .070 on the lowest string. When I got the First Act Sheena, they drilled the bridge so I could fit an .080-gauge bass string in there, and I started using that. Then Ernie Ball was cool enough to make me custom .080-gauge guitar strings, and I’ve been using them ever since. Since we tune so low, there is a noticeable difference in the sound of heavier gauge strings as compared to normal ones. I play a lot of single-string riffs, so the heavier strings keep it sounding solid.

When you’re playing live, what is your first and last activity before and after you hit the stage? — Paulina

I usually just put my stinky show clothes on and get offended by how bad they smell, and then go onstage. And then I change out of them as fast as I can after.

What do you keep on your pedal board, and what pedal would you say is essential to your overall sound? — Eliot Day

The OCD Overdrive I mentioned before is the most essential, since it adds to my distortion. My pedal board also contains a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, so it sounds pretty tight live. And if ever I do any leads, I use a Boss DD-7 Digital Delay and a Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb. Those have been my go-to pedals for leads since Suicide Season. They’re really good pedals; they might never break. They always work for me, so I’ve stuck with them. I have a couple Electro-Harmonix pedals, too, but I mostly just use the Boss ones.

I’ve been trying to get faster at shredding for solos, but I just can’t get it. Do you have any tips? — Robert Maros

I’m not the best shredder in the world. I’d say to start slow and learn your basic scales and learn how to alternate-pick perfectly. Once your fingers know where they’re going, you don’t have to think about it. Then it’s muscle memory. Just take it slow.

Why don’t you play shred solos and leads anymore, like on [2006’s] Count Your Blessings — Mark Castelan

I think the sound of the band has progressed. Shredding is amazing if it suits the group, but if I did a lot of sweeping on our current songs, it would probably sound like rubbish or like I was trying to show off. I’m just trying to play what the song needs. If it needs a solo, these days for us it’s probably not going to be a shred solo. It will be a cool melody. I don’t want to show off.

What are some of your hobbies? What do you do for fun? — Rachel Shepard

Basically, I just do nothing and hang out. That’s about it. I watch a lot of TV, specifically the British version of The Office, even though it’s been out a long time. When we’re on tour I tend to do nothing.

If you could choose any guitar player, living or dead, to share a stage with, who would you choose and why? — Tatiana Fritzová

I think it would be cool to have played alongside Gary Moore. He’s my dad’s favorite guitarist, so he took me to see him live once. I remember he was great live. He had only a bassist and a drummer backing him up, but he made it sound huge. I was really interested in how he sounds so big, being just one guy. He always played Les Pauls into Marshalls and made them sound amazing.

My favorite songs of his are “Still Got the Blues” and “Parisienne Walkways,” which are just the typical ones but I love the melodies in them. He’s not shredding or going mental. He’s like David Gilmour in that he doesn’t have to play fast to be good. When Gary Moore died, my dad texted me early in the morning about it. We had wanted to see him again, but we can’t now. He was proper good.

Do you ever feel uninspired, like you’ve hit the wall when trying to write songs? What do you do to get yourself out of a creative rut? — Jordan Mafi

I just take a break. Also, for the last couple of years, I hardly listen to metal music, and that’s brought my songwriting a long way. When you translate something from another genre into your writing, it works out pretty well. I listen to [indie-rock] bands like Sigur Rós and Bon Iver. With those bands, I like how their music can sound bigger when it’s not heavy. With our music, a soundscape sounds better to me than doing a typical breakdown or trying to do the heaviest thing you’ve heard.

You can bring more emotion into the song that way. For instance, the ending of “Hospital for Souls” on the new CD is inspired by post-rock, just in the way the guitar part builds and builds. It never kicks into anything different, but we add more instruments and more layers. It sounds really dramatic and you can feel it.

How do I nail the sweep picking in “Pray for Plagues”? It’s driving me crazy! — Mitch Windeatt

Like with the question about shredding, once you can play it slow, you’ll be able to play it to speed. Learn the shape you’re sweeping first, then learn the notes. You’re not just going down random notes; you’re going down a D minor scale. So once you know what notes make a D minor sweeping shape, it makes everything so much easier. Once your learn the shapes, your brain doesn’t think about it as hard.

What is the last thing you bought? Like, literally. A sandwich? A record? Sunscreen? — Nat Rice

Right now, I’m in South Africa. The last thing I bought was a Nando, which is grilled chicken with spicy sauces on it. It’s originally from South Africa. We’ve been doing a lot since we’ve been in South Africa. We went on safari. We hiked up a huge mountain. We’ve done every tourist thing you can do. We went diving with great white sharks in a cage, which was pretty cool. When we did that, we got in a boat and went miles out to sea. Once the sharks turned up, I would get in a cage and look at them. It was pretty scary, but it’s something I wanted to do for years. When my friend was in the cage, the shark came up and tried to chew the bars.

You have played a ton of shows. What would you say has been your best onstage experience? And what was the worst or most embarrassing? — Uriel Hernandez

The best was we played in the Alexandra Palace in England last year. We had taken a year off, so we were worried about whether people would still be into our music. We ended up playing for 10,000 kids, and it was great. My most embarrassing moment was playing Australia’s Soundwave Festival just this past March. I was supposed to play a solo on the song “Blessed with a Curse,” but just before I was supposed to start, our singer, Oli [Sykes], announced, “Everybody, give it up for Lee Malia!” I panicked and forgot to play it. I literally turned away in shame. I didn’t know what to do. It was the most embarrassed I’ve been in my life.

From the Archive: Dimebag Darrell’s Top 5 Guitar Boot Camp Tips

Dimebag Darrell — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:48:08 +0000

Back in 2000, Guitar World asked the legendary Pantera and Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell to give our readers the best ways to stay fit when slinging six strings. Here's what he came up with.

01. Keep a positive outlook.

A lot of bands whine about the road and how tough it is. Fuck all that. With the right outlook, you can learn to entertain yourself and entertain each other so you can enjoy doing what you’re doing. There’s obviously gonna be highs and lows, and the trick to it is to be able to maintain composure and stay high even when you’re in the lows. That way when you hit the highs it’ll be twice as killer.

02. You’ve got to have booze!

Booze is the healer and booze is the feeler. Whenever you’re getting into rock and roll mode, nothing kicks it in better than a couple of shots of whisky and a cold beer. It kinda takes some of the distractions away and helps bring things into focus. You know the difference between listening to a record sober and listening to it after having a couple — it’s immaculate … it’s goddamned electric. So you’ve definitely got to have booze to survive. And, before I forget, the occasional, green “behavioral modification device” is also a necessity every now and again!

03. Stay hydrated.

On the same note: When you wake up and you’ve got a gig to play but you’re still half drunk and hurtin’ big-time, you’re gonna be dehydrated. The best thing to re-hydrate yourself isn’t Gatorade — it’s Pedialyte, the stuff they give to kids when they’re shitting in their britches! So, get yourself some Pedialyte, get yourself some water and then go for the cheap Mexican food. That’s a survival trick that’ll get you back on the right track.

04. Bring a recording device.

When you’re on the road, you’ve got to have your four-track — or some kind of recording device to jam on and have a good time. That way, you can work on new riffs, or write a cheap song about some jacked-off experience that just happened to you—something everybody can catch a nut on the next day.

05. Bring your favorite CDs.

Always have a collection of your favorite CDs with you. Music drives you. It wakes you up, it gets you pumping. And, at the end of the day, the correct tune will chill you down.

Additional Content

Interview: Guitarist Maxwell Carlisle Talks Gear, the LA Scene and His Latest EP, 'Full Metal Thunder'

Dave Reffett — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:31:43 +0000

Maxwell Carlisle is an up-and-coming guitarist on LA's metal scene. He has released two EP’s in only six months, and he's working on even more projects at the moment. We recently spoke to Carlisle — who has played with Death Riders and other notable LA-based bands — about what it's like to have so many irons in the fire.

GUITAR WORLD: Tell us about the new recordings you have out now. Both EPs feature different singers, correct?

I've released two EP's in the past six months: Visions of Victory in November and Full Metal Thunder on April 3. Originally I was going to do a full-length power-and-shred metal album with two singers, one male and one female, each singing half the album. But as the songs started to come together, I felt their voices were too different to put on the same project.

Caro Lion, who sings on the first EP, has a classic '80s female rock voice. Michael Yancy sings on the second EP, and his voice is much more "metal" — raspier, kind of a cross between Udo Dirkschneider and Jeff Scott Soto, if you can imagine that. I made the decision to release them as two EPs. I'm glad I did it that way.

It's hard for me to pick which EP is my favorite. They're quite different. Visions of Victory is more melodic power metal, and Full Metal Thunder has a heavier thrash feel to it. My favorite track from that one is the title track. From the first EP, it would be "Power Angel," which we also shot a video for. That's had a great response, and we're going to be doing another video for the new release as well.

Do you have special guests on any of the tracks?

One of my favorite things about releasing anything is when I get to include some killer guest artists. Between the two EP's, Ethan Brosh, Rick Renstrom, Nita Strauss and Dannyjoe Carter do guest solos. I've been fortunate to work with great people in the past, like Michael Angelo Batio and electric cellist Tina Guo. I always dig hearing other people play on my tunes. It pushes me harder as a player, because they can all shred their asses off.

What main guitars were used on the EP's?

I used three guitars for the bulk of the tracks: an older Ibanez RG that's a hard tail, no whammy bar; and my two Jackson DK2Ms. Those are basically Dinkys with maple fret boards. The Ibanez has the classic EMG 81/85 combo, and one Jackson has a Seymour Duncan JB and '59. The other one has Blackouts. I've gotta say, the Blackouts are my favorite! I used the Ibanez for most of the rhythm parts and the Jacksons for the leads. Live, I've been using the Jacksons mostly.

What do you want the guitar community out there to know about you?

I think a lot of people look at what I'm doing and think I'm crazy. Here's this guy, a bodybuilder with a Mohawk who plays shred metal in a sea of Indie rock and metalcore bands. I want people to know that musically I take what I do very seriously. I put a lot of work into my chops and the whole package of what I'm doing. But on the other hand, I don't take myself too seriously and I'm in this to have a good time. I can laugh at myself, and I'm fine with the fact that not everyone will like or "get" what I do. I've got a photo from a few years back of me and Herman Li. He's got me in a choke hold and I'm holding up a sign that says "Dragonforce Sucks!" I love crazy stuff like that. By the way, did you know he's a Jiu-Jitsu expert? Hardly anyone knows that, but it's true!

What do you use in terms of amps and pedals?

For the EPs, I basically used two different amps: a Marshall 50-watt DSL 2000 and a Bugera 6262. I would run one of those into a Carvin Legacy 4x12 loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s. I also did some extra guitar layers recording direct, but that ends up buried in the mix. I still prefer the sound of a mic'd-up, cranked tube amp!

For pedals I always use a Maxon OD808 to boost my amps. I can't get enough of the sustain and fatness that thing brings to the table. I also use the Ibanez Paul Gilbert Airplane Flanger, although only on one song. Gotta have it though; it has a totally unique sound. Plus I'm a firm believer that anything related to Paul Gilbert makes your rig sound better! It makes you big in Japan too!

For all my other effects I use a Boss GT8, which is actually an older model of their big multi-effects floorboard. I've got it programmed and setup perfectly for my rig so I've kind of been putting off upgrading it, and I use it in "4-cable mode," which basically means I run the preamp of my head through the effects loop of the GT. That way I'm using my actually preamp tone and not a simulated preamp.

Who are your influences? When was the moment that you realized that you wanted to play?

I remember watching the movie Crossroads as a kid. I thought everything about it was just sort of cool, until they get to the scene at the end with Steve Vai. When he comes out as this bad ass shredder guy in the final guitar battle, that was what really blew my mind. It wasn't until years later that I actually started playing guitar seriously, but that was what first put the idea in my head. I still love that scene.

As far as influences, I draw from the people who I consider to be the technical masters. Guys like Chris Impellitteri, Michael Angelo Batio, Rusty Cooley, Tony MacAlpine, Luca Turilli, Paul Gilbert, Akira Takasaki and Yngwie Malmsteen, just to name a few. Some of them influenced me just from a playing standpoint and with others it's more about the songwriting or just how they present themselves. I really admire guys who stand the test of time too, and are not just a flash in the pan. That's something I'm hoping will happen with my own career. I'd like to still be playing blazing solos in 40 years.

You're an avid body building enthusiast. Does it affect your playing? Was it harder to play when you were competitively training?

People ask me all the time, "Doesn't lifting weights interfere with your playing?" The answer is no. I have heard about other people having problems, but I've never had any issues. I do make an effort to not beat up my hands, like I don't do boxing or anything like that, but as far as weight training, even heavy stuff, I've had zero problems. I've been doing it a long time too, like lifting and playing for 15 years each. If anything there are actually a lot of parallels between the two. The way you build up a muscle over time is very similar to developing a technique or developing speed in your playing. They both take a lot of time and consistency, and they're both fun as hell. Plus, there are chicks at the gym, chicks at shows, so it's all good.

You live and play in Los Angeles. Tell us about the general state of the industry out there as you see it. Where do you think it's going?

I think the scene in LA is pretty representative of the state of the industry in the US in general. And I have to say, I'm not stoked about it. As far as rock and metal bands, you basically have two dominating genres. That would be metalcore and Indie rock. The indie stuff I hate with a passion. It's pretentious and provides a way for people to pass off bad musicianship as art. Metalcore I can handle in small doses, but you never, ever get it in small doses!

There's just too many bands! And I know this is a cliche thing to say, but every fucking band sounds the same! Every song sounds the same! Shit, even the stuff the singer says to the crowd in between songs is the same. "Let me see your hands in the air!" "Are you with us!" "Let's tear this up!" And don't get me wrong, there are actually a lot of really great musicians in that scene. But come on. It's OK to do something different!

I think the problems the industry is going through right now have created a huge lack of diversity. The thought process that most bands have is, "OK, we want to get signed. Labels are making a lot less money, and they don't want to take any financial risks, so we need to do whatever is most popular, mainstream and safe."

And then you just end up with a million bands all doing the same thing. That's what killed hair metal! And that was even back when people still paid for music! When you think about it, the bands that really are making it these days are always bands that are doing something different and stand out from the pack. Look at Steel Panther! Who would have thought that a throw-back glam metal band would be as big as they are today? They're different, unique and let's face it, kick all kinds of musical ass, so people pay attention to them.

Dave Reffett is a Berklee College of Music graduate and has worked with some of the best players in rock and metal. He is an instructor at (and the head of) the Hard Rock and Heavy Metal department at The Real School of Music in the metro Boston area. He also is a master clinician and a highly-in-demand private guitar teacher. He teaches lessons in person and worldwide via Skype. As an artist and performer, he is working on some soon-to-be revealed high-profile projects with A-list players in rock and metal. In 2009, he formed the musical project Shredding The Envelope and released the critically acclaimed album The Call Of The Flames. Dave also is an official artist endorsee for companies like Seymour Duncan, Gibson, Eminence and Esoterik Guitars, which in 2011 released a Dave Reffett signature model guitar, the DR-1. Dave has worked in the past at Sanctuary Records and Virgin Records, where he promoting acts like The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Korn and Meat Loaf.

Interview: Invadür Guitarist Sean Haidul Talks Gear, Analog Recording and Influences

Andrew Bansal — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:19:57 +0000

Massachusetts-based hard rock/heavy metal band Ivadür, which got its start in 2011, released an impressive debut album earlier this year.

This band’s simple goal is to play the kind of music they enjoy listening to, and their passion for all things classic is pretty clear when you listen to this album, which is — through and through — a 100 percent analog recording.

I first interviewed drummer Scott Smith to discuss some basics about the band, and you can read that right here. Then I spoke to guitarist Sean Haidul to find out more about gear and the recording process, among other things. Read our conversation below, and check out Invadür on bandcamp and Facebook.

GUITAR WORLD: In terms of your own setup, what gear did you use for this album?

For this recording I used my Gibson SG Supreme. That’s my ultimate. It’s an emerald burst with gold inlays, and it’s kind of like my baby. I’ve got a couple of extras, but that’s the one I use. And as far as amps, we used Soldano. Scott being the drummer is a giant gear head when it comes to all that stuff. And yeah, nothing really crazy with any of the effects or anything, we just tried to keep it simple and that’s kind of how we went with it. Of course, my SG is the one that’s most important to me, I think [laughs].

You guys recorded the album the analog way. Did that make any difference to your setup, or did you just use the same thing as you would have normally used?

We used the same, man. The only pedal I used was my Dunlop MXR Carbon Copy, which is for the analog delay. There’s a little bit of that, and we did a bit of tweaking in the post-production. But that’s really it as far as that stuff is concerned. It was definitely recorded in 100 percent analog, which I don’t think any of us have done before. We were thinking back on all the old stuff we grew up on. We’re big fans of the classic stuff, and there’s no mistakes made on those albums. So we played seven songs over and over again in the studio, until we got really good at recording them. That was an awesome and challenging experience for us, especially for me. We’d love to do that again, and that’s certainly the plan for upcoming recordings with Invadür.

Scott said the whole recording was done within five or six days. In terms of playing the songs over and over again, how many times did you actually play them?

The first day of recording was drum, bass and guitar. We were all locked in one room with all the amps put to one side. I got to do the overdubs because I’m the guitarist, but basically first we had to make sure these tracks had solid bass and drums, and some of the songs we even played 20 times each, just small parts. One miss, and it’s all over! We had to start all over again. As frustrating as it could be sometimes, it was definitely a great experience. It made us a hell of a lot tighter in no time, too. But it’s part of the gig!

In terms of your guitar playing, who has inspired you over the years?

If I had to go to anything, I would seek out Megadeth and Iron Maiden. As much as Dave Mustaine can be a knucklehead, the guy musician-wise has done some of the greatest things I’ve ever heard. Maiden and Adrian Smith are big influences to me as well. Mercyful Fate, K.K. Downing of Judas Priest as well, and we can go on forever with this stuff. But I’ve always been a fan of the early '80s thrash and heavy metal. That’s the stuff that moved me the most.

You mentioned the Gibson SG. Why that guitar? Did you see anybody else using it?

It’s actually funny because I’ve been a self-taught guitarist my whole life. I’ve mostly learned from tablature. Megadeth’s Rust In Peace was one of the first albums I tried to learn. But a really close friend of mine, who’s a guitar teacher, always played Gibson. He’s got tons of Gibson guitars. I would go to him, he would teach me some stuff and I would play his guitars. SG just seemed to be the fit for me, especially for the classic sounding thing we were trying to do. It just made more sense to use that.

Over the years, have you been the kind of guy who practices and spends a lot of time on the guitar, or is it more spontaneous?

Well, I used to practice a lot. I would play some Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica and even the first couple of Queensrÿche albums. Then I started joining bands, and as I got older (I’m 30), I kind of played when I felt like it. I don’t pick up the guitar every day, and instead I do it just a couple of times a week just to see what I have. Especially now, I really believe that I have to feel it to come up with something that’s creative enough. When I pick it up, I just practice some scales, and I try to come up with a riff that I’m into, you know. That’s kind of really where I’m at in terms of guitar playing in my life.

I believe you’re also in a black metal band with Scott. Can you tell me more about that?

The band is just a two-man project called Plagues. We did our first demo and put it out ourselves. There are probably 10 more songs we’re getting ready to record at the end of the summer. Basically heavy metal, black metal and punk hardcore is the music I grew up on, but the intensity of black metal is something I’ve always loved.

I've heard that you and Scott wrote music for this two-man project, but those song didn’t fit in with the project's style so you started Invadür. Is this the sort of band you've always had in the back of your head — a classic heavy band?

Yeah, I think so. When you’re young and are a guitar player at any level, you try to reinvent the wheel. You try to do something special. But through the bands that I’ve done, at some point I just felt like playing what I enjoy. Play what’s fun to you and play what you listen to. I think with Invadür, that’s kind of the riffs we did. I would totally listen to that. It reminded me of stuff I loved to listen to! We shared a love for Mercyful Fate, Maiden and stuff, and as much as I love black metal, sometimes it’s draining and too intense. I was kind of like, "You know, let’s mess around with something else here." So we did and had a blast. It was too fun and too easy to just not do. We started putting it together, got a singer and bass player, and here we are! It’s been probably one of the most enjoyable recording and band experiences I’ve ever had.

How are you going forward? Will you be working both the black metal project and Invadür?

Believe it or not, it’s actually easier than it sounds because they’re so different. From the minute I wake up to the time I go to bed, it’s easy to channel my influences. With the black metal stuff, I like to play a little bit more melodic, but I feel I have to express different feelings for both, as weird as it sounds. I always try to be active in music, because that’s just what I do. It’s definitely something I plan on doing for a long time, one way or another.

Andrew Bansal is a writer who has been running his own website, Metal Assault, since early 2010, and has been prolific in covering the hard rock and heavy metal scene by posting interviews, news, reviews and pictures on his website — with the help of a small group of people. He briefly moved away from the Los Angeles scene and explored metal in India, but he is now back in LA continuing from where he left off.

Guitar Girl'd: Connecting with Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies

Laura B. Whitmore — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:18:35 +0000

I knew bassist Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies had been voted as one of the “25 Hottest Chicks in Metal” by Revolver. So when I sat down to take a listen to the band’s new album, Connect, I was expecting some metal mayhem.

I wasn’t disappointed by the driving beats, heavy riffs and overall awesomeness of the album. But I was surprised, because it was so much more than metal. In fact, the diversity of Connect was one if its strengths.

Solid radio-ready hard rock hits sit comfortably next to sassy lyrics and unexpected jolts of rhythmic intensity. But best of all, it's obvious this band isn't afraid to take stylistic chances. The writing and musicianship on Connect are top notch.

Sick Puppies gained notoriety when they released an independent video to accompany their first single, “All The Same.” Shot in a Sydney shopping mall in which fellow Aussie Juan Mann held up a hand-written placard offering passers-by "Free Hugs," the clip has attracted more than 74 million views on YouTube and spawned a world-wide phenomenon.

Connects follows their 2009 release, TRI-POLAR, which sold 400,000 copies and had two certified gold singles, “You're Going Down” and “Maybe.” Set for release in July, the band will be touring throughout the summer in support. Here we talk to Anzai about the new album and what’s next.

Let’s talk about your new album.

It’s called Connect, and actually the new single is called “There’s No Going Back.” The video was just released on June 6. You can pre-order the album.

I really like the writing on the whole album. I especially like “Gunfight,” because it’s so cheeky.

It’s funny, that song. We had a big debate over whether it would make the album, because the style is so left-of-center. And we were like, “I don’t know if it fits on the album,” because all the other songs are of a certain nature, and that one kind of sticks out. So yeah, you either love it or you hate it. I’m glad you like it.

there’s something fun about it that’s different. Especially because you mention Kevin Bacon in it, so …

Ha, right.

Do you guys work as a team in the writing process?

Yeah, we all collaborate. It all happens in a different manner each time. Sometimes we’ll come up with a theme, and we’ll start from there lyrically and then put music to it. Other times we’ll already have a melody or a theme, and it all happens differently. Sometimes, it’s a riff and you build from that. So, it can be any number of ways.

The one thing we do keep the same is writing it acoustically rather than getting in a room and jamming on it. Just because it’s hard to know if it’s good when you’ve got the instruments plugged in and it’s already loud. Then anything can sound relatively OK! But it’s only when you strip it back to acoustic, and you can play it as a song, that you can know whether it’s radio-ready song or not.

Yeah, if that kernel of that song can make it on just an acoustic guitar then you’re good. The other song I thought was really interesting was the last one, “Under the Black Sky,” which is sort of Pink Floyd-ish.

That’s what people have been saying. That’s really cool and very complimentary, because Pink Floyd, obviously, they’re very legendary, and they retain credibility. And they’re really a good band.

It was definitely the most apart from “Gunfight,” I guess. It’s the one we kind of went most out-on-a-limb on. And we decided to put it last. Kind of like on the previous album. We put something at the end that gives you a hint of what direction we could go in next. The most experimental, I suppose.

You have some very solid radio-ready songs on there, but you definitely have stretched that creativity muscle. I watched your “Free Hugs” video. That must’ve been really crazy when that just took off …

It was! Because Shim, our singer, made it for his friend in Australia, who basically just stood at a strip mall and held up a sign, and gave free hugs. And so, one day, Shim decided to film it. It all happened around the time that we came to the states as a band, and it before we got a record deal and any of that.

Shim had all this footage of him giving out free hugs, and at the time, we were recording our first album, and we had just done the song “All the Same.” He decided to compile all the footage and put the song underneath, and it was a really weird thing. He just did it for his friend and then he sent it to him and he was like, “Wow, that’s really cool.” And we were like, “Oh, we should put it on YouTube.” It’s a really great, I don’t know, like a Get Well card. It’s very soothing. As soon as we put that on YouTube it went viral. We had no idea! It was totally unplanned, and it was very lucky for us.

I read that you started out playing guitar. What made you pick it up in the first place?

I was living in Japan at the time; my dad is Japanese. When I was a teenager we moved back to Japan, and I was having a hard time because I was already English speaking and it was hard to integrate back into a non-English-speaking culture. My friend would send me magazines from Australia, and I learned about Silverchair. I really got into them and started to play guitar after that. My uncle got one for me for my birthday. Then I ended up moving back to Australia and met Shim in high school. And he played guitar and sang, so I moved to bass, and so that’s how that kind of happened.

Do you feel your approach to playing bass has evolved as you’ve been doing more writing and performing?

Yeah, I think so. When you start out, you kind of want to put every single little thing in there that you’ve learned. And it’s not necessarily good for the song. But I think the one thing I’ve learned is to listen more, so you don’t step over the song’s melody. It has to sit right.

Are there any bass players you really love?

Yeah, oh yeah. I originally loved the bass player from Silverchair. And also Green Day; he’s super melodic, Mike from Green Day. And then, my absolutely favorite is Flea, because he incorporates both melody and rhythm, and slapping, of course…

And showmanship.

Oh yeah, that’s key. He has it all. He’s my No. 1 inspiration, because he can really play with the drums and have it going. I like bass because you can be the guitar player, and you can also do drums, too — slapping and rhythmic stuff. So that’s why I think it’s my favorite.

Let’s talk about your gear. Can you tell me what bass you’re using and what amp you plug into?

It’s pretty simple. I love Warwick basses and Ampeg amps, and that’s pretty much it. I play a Stream Stage 1. I’ve been playing Warwick pretty much the whole time. And they’re very good to me. I’m endorsed by them. When you slap, it really cuts through. I play Ampeg SVT Classics for heads, and I use 8x10 cabinets, just a simple setup. I have two heads — one for the highs and one for the lows. I bi-amp it, and that’s pretty much it.

That’s a pretty solid rig, I would say.

Yeah, it is, definitely. Most solid I’ve come across, and sometimes when you play at outdoor festivals, you need it. ‘Cause the sound gets blown away, because it’s outdoors and windy.

Do you have any favorites on the new album that you like to play live?

There’s a song called “Die to Save You,” which has really mean riffs in it, which is really cool. For now, it’s my favorite.

Have you had any challenges as a woman playing hard rock?

You know, I’ve been lucky, because I’ve been in this band since I met Shim in high school. So, not anything that has made me want to quit. Nothing like that. You do get your cliché things like they’ll think you’re a girlfriend of somebody’s or someone who’s not in the band. You’ll get that a lot. I’ve found that people have been very respectful and especially, these days, there are more girls in rock. Halestorm, Amy Lee. When we were first coming up, she was the rock goddess and she still is.

Do you have any tips or advice to share that you’ve learned in your travels?

I guess, just make sure you love what you do, and you’re loving it for the right reasons. Because eventually that’ll be tested, and it’s not an easy road. You really have to sacrifice a lot, like being without your family and friends, being away for a long time, being on a tour bus, and just doing that kind of thing. And while it is fantastic, and it is a dream, you do sacrifice pretty much everything else in your life. And if you’re prepared to do that and you really love it, then it’s perfect for you.

And also, make sure the people that you’re in a band with and touring with are good people, and people that you get on well with, because that will go a long way. When you’re tired, when you’ve done 10 shows in a row, not enough sleep, you want to make sure that everyone is of a good temperament to be able to handle that.

That’s excellent advice. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

The Sick Puppies Twitter is a place where people can ask questions and they can get in touch with us pretty much directly at twitter.com/SickPuppies. Ask us questions! And you can find out more at sickpuppies.com. And if readers wanna go a bit further, there’s sickpuppiesworldcrew.net, which is like a Street Team/Fan Relations that they can dig deeper!

Laura B. Whitmore is a singer/songwriter based in the San Francisco bay area. A veteran music industry marketer, she has spent over two decades doing marketing, PR and artist relations for several guitar-related brands including Marshall and VOX. Her company, Mad Sun Marketing, represents Dean Markley, Agile Partners, Peavey, Jammit, Notion Music, Guitar World and many more. Laura was instrumental in the launch of the Guitar World Lick of the Day app. She is the founder of the Women's International Music Network at thewimn.com, producer of the Women's Music Summit and the lead singer for the rock band Summer Music Project. More at mad-sun.com.

A Tribute to Jeff Hanneman: The Slayer Guitarist’s Wife Recalls the Spider-Bite Incident and How It Lead to Her Husband’s Downfall

Jeff Kitts — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:36:57 +0000

This is an excerpt from the August 2013 issue of Guitar World magazine. For the rest of this story, plus a Jeff Hanneman poster and features on Buzz Osbourne of the Melvins, Joe Bonamassa, Iggy and the Stooges, Steve Morse of Deep Purple, Eric Clapton's 2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival, the 25 Best Guitar & Music Apps and more, check out the August 2013 issue at the Guitar World Online Store.

In January 2011, an incident occurred that many would later assume was the cause of Jeff Hanneman’s death but wasn’t.

Jeff was bitten on his right arm by an insect that was carrying a flesh-eating disease called necrotizing fasciitis. Reports circulated that it was a spider that bit Jeff, but that was never confirmed. Whatever bit him, it was enough send the guitarist’s life into a tailspin.

“Jeff had been visiting a friend in the L.A. area,” says Kathryn, his wife of 24 years. “He was in the Jacuzzi one night relaxing, and he had his arm over the side, and he felt something, like a bite or a prick. But of course he didn’t think anything of it. He came home about a week later, and he was pretty well lit when he came through the front door. He wasn’t feeling well, and he just wanted to go upstairs and go to sleep.

"Before he did he said, ‘Kath, I need to show you something, even though I really don’t want to.’ And he took off his shirt, and I just freaked out when I saw his arm. It was bright red and three times the normal size. I said, ‘Jeff, we need to go now. We need to get you to the ER.’ But all he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep, and I knew that I was trying to rationalize with a very intoxicated person. So there was nothing I could do that night. But the next morning I convinced him to let me take him in. He didn’t have a lot of strength, but I was able to get him into the car.

“When we got to the hospital in Loma Linda, they took one look at him and they immediate knew what it was, so they took him right in. Jeff told me to go home because we both knew he’d be there for hours and neither of us thought it would be a life-or-death situation.

"About three or four hours later, Jeff called me and said, ‘Kath, it’s not good. They may have to amputate. I think you need to come back here.’ When I got there, Jeff was on the stretcher waiting to go into surgery, and the doctor put it in perspective for me. He said, ‘I need you to see your husband. He may not make it.’ The doctor looked at Jeff and told him, ‘First I’m going to try to save your life. Then I’m going to try to save your arm. Then I’m going to try to save your career.’ And looking at Jeff on that stretcher and possibly saying goodbye, knowing that I may never see him again…”—she pauses—“…was one of the hardest moments of my life.”

The next few days for the Hannemans could only be described as nerve-wracking. Jeff was in the ICU in an induced coma after the initial surgery and breathing through a tube, his arm, for the most part, intact. Doctors attempted to remove the breathing tube at one point, but Jeff was unable to breathe on his own. Finally, after about the fourth day, the tube was removed and Jeff was breathing again. Her husband was alive, but as soon as they removed the bandages from Jeff’s arm, Kathryn knew the road to recovery would be long.

“I’ll never forget it—I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” she recalls. “All I could do was look up at the doctor and say, ‘How the hell do you fix this?’ And he said, ‘You know, Mrs. Hanneman, you’d be very surprised.’ And at that moment I had all the faith in the world that this doctor could fix his arm.”

Back home soon afterward, Jeff could begin the process of rehabilitating his arm in the hopes of regaining his ability to play guitar. The next few weeks saw more surgeries, staples and multiple grafts using skin from his left thigh. Wound-care suction devices were on hand to draw out the infection and help the skin grafts take. Physically, Jeff’s arm was on the mend. Emotionally, however, he was struggling. Depression was setting in.

“I couldn’t get Jeff to go to rehab or therapy,” Kathryn says. “I think he was letting the visual of his arm get to his emotions, and it was messing with his mind. It was hard to keep him upbeat at that point.

“I think he thought he could do this on his own—that he would just to go rehearsal and play, and that that would be his rehab. But I think he started to learn, once he tried rehearsing, that he wasn’t playing up to his ability and that he wasn’t able to play guitar at the speed he was used to. And I think that really hit him hard, and he started to lose hope.”

For the rest of this story, plus a Jeff Hanneman poster and features on Buzz Osbourne of the Melvins, Joe Bonamassa, Iggy and the Stooges, Steve Morse of Deep Purple, Eric Clapton's 2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival, the 25 Best Guitar & Music Apps and more, check out the August 2013 issue at the Guitar World Online Store.

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Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time Readers Poll: Round 1 — "Mr. Crowley" (Randy Rhoads) Vs. "Sweet Child O' Mine" (Slash)

Guitar World Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:33:23 +0000

A few years ago, the editors of Guitar World magazine compiled what we feel is the ultimate guide to the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.

The list, which has been quoted by countless artists, websites and publications around the world, starts with Richie Sambora's work on Bon Jovi's “Wanted Dead or Alive” (Number 100) and builds to a truly epic finish with Jimmy Page's solo on "Stairway to Heaven" (Number 1).

To quote our "Stairway to Heaven" story that ran with the list, "If Jimmy Page is the Steven Spielberg of guitarists, then 'Stairway' is his Close Encounters."

We've kicked off a summer blockbuster of our own — a no-holds-barred six-string shootout. We're pitting Guitar World's top 64 guitar solos against each other in an NCAA-style, 64-team single-elimination tournament. Every day, we will ask you to cast your vote in a different guitar-solo matchup as dictated by the 64-team-style bracket.

You can vote only once per matchup. The voting for each matchup ends as soon as the next matchup is posted (Basically, that's one poll per day during the first round of elimination, including weekends and holidays).

In some cases, genre will clash against genre; a thrash solo might compete against a Southern rock solo, for instance. But let's get real: They're all guitar solos, played on guitars, by guitarists, most of them in some subset of the umbrella genre of rock. When choosing, it might have to come down to, "Which solo is more original and creative? Which is more iconic? or Which one kicks a larger, more impressive assemblage of asses?"

Today, Randy Rhoads returns to the poll with "Mr. Crowley" (28), which is going head to head against Slash's guitar work on "Sweet Child O' Mine" (37). Get busy! You'll find the poll at the bottom of the story.

Yesterday's Results

Winner: "Floods" (71.98 percent)
Loser: "Hot for Teacher" (28.02 percent)

Round 1, Day 10: "Mr. Crowley" Vs. "Sweet Child O' Mine"

28. “Mr. Crowley”
Soloist: Randy Rhoads
Album: Ozzy Osbourne—Blizzard of Ozz (Epic, 1981)

“I’d have to say that ‘Mr. Crowley’ is my most memorable solo,” said Randy Rhoads. “I had spent hours trying to figure out a solo for the song, but wasn’t getting anywhere. I finally put something down. Then Ozzy came in and said, ‘It’s crap—everything you’re playing is crap.’ He told me to get in there and just play how I felt. He made me really nervous, so I just played anything. When I came back to listen to it, he said it was great, and I had to agree.”

37. "Sweet Child O' Mine”
Soloist: Slash
Album: Guns N’ Roses—Appetite for Destruction (Geffen, 1987)

“When ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ was written, it was a joke as far as I was concerned,” says Slash. “I was just fuckin’ around when I came up with that riff. To me it was a nightmare because, for some strange reason, everyone picked up on it and, the next thing you knew, it had turned into a song. I hated it forever! The guitar solo itself is a one-take, spontaneous kind of thing. Having played the song at rehearsals enough times, when it came to recording it I knew exactly where the melody was and it came real easy.”

Cast Your Vote!

Head HERE to see all the matchups that have taken place so far!

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The Songwriting Sourcebook: How to Turn Chords Into Great Songs

Guitar World Staff — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:30:40 +0000

Originally published in 2003, and now revised and updated, The Songwriting Sourcebook: How to Turn Chords into Great Songs is the third entry in Rikky Rooksby's bestselling How to Write Songs series.

This easy-to-use book will help you write better songs by explaining the art of writing effective chord sequences It shows:

• How three and four chords can lay the foundation for a simple song, and how to move on to progressions using five and six chords

• How to give your chord sequences additional color by adding chords that are not strictly in key, including blues chords

• How to write chord sequences for songs in minor keys as well as major keys, and how to take progressions into new territories by changing key

• How to fine-tune the color of your chords by understanding the emotional potential of sevenths, sixths and ninths

All examples come with easy-to-read guitar chord boxes, and the accompanying 20-track audio CD features original recordings that illustrate some of the points made in the book.

The Songwriting Sourcebook is available now at the Guitar World Online Store for $24.99.

Guitar World Girls: Anna Sengthavongsa

Guitar World — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:25:29 +0000

Anna is the latest addition to our Girls of Guitar World Gallery.

All photos by Glenn Fricker, spectremedia.ca

Scroll down to see the complete photo gallery!

If you think you have what it takes to be a Guitar World Girl, simply email photos of yourself with a guitar to modelsearch@guitarworld.com!

Rex Brown Recalls the Making of 'Cowboys from Hell,' 'Vulgar Display of Power' and Other Legendary Pantera Albums

Jon Wiederhorn — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:26:20 +0000

While Pantera vocalist Philip Anselmo and the Abbott Brothers—guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul—were flinging insults at each other in the press throughout 2003, bassist Rex Brown remained largely silent.

His ex-bandmates viciously blamed each other for the demise of Pantera, the band that held the torch aloft for metal throughout the Nineties and paved the way for metalcore. But Brown refused to choose sides. By then, he and Anselmo were performing together in Down, and fans might have expected he would take the singer’s side. But Brown continued to say nothing. Instead, he let the resounding notes of his bass express the pain and frustration he felt for what had become of his band.

[[ Vote in today's Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time Readers Poll! "Floods" (Dimebag Darrell) Vs. "Hot for Teacher" (Eddie Van Halen)" ]]

“Vinnie drew this imaginary line in the sand,” explains Brown, who is currently wrapping up the second album by his new band, Kill Devil Hill. “He said, ‘You’re either on our side or not.’ I didn’t want to take sides. Every fucking day before Dime was killed [in December 2004], Vinnie would email me when Phil would say something stupid in the press and go, ‘See what your boy said?’ I was like, ‘Dude, why is he my boy? Because I wanted to get out of your bus because you were throwing fucking tacos at everybody because you’d lost your mind on booze?’ The whole thing was ridiculous, but I never talked about it.”

Until now. In his revealing new memoir, Official Truth 101 Proof: The Inside Story of Pantera, Brown stops short of blaming anyone for Pantera’s breakup and the subsequent murder of Dimebag Darrell. Instead, he and co-writer Mark Eglinton spend the majority of the book addressing the formation and development of Pantera through five legendary albums. In the process, Brown analyzes how four musicians that were once closer than most families grew apart because of their differences in personality, musical tastes and choice of extracurricular activities.

Brown has particularly strong recollections of the six major-label albums he recorded with Pantera. In this Guitar World interview, he gives us an unvarnished, no-holds-barred look at the making of those records and of his life with the original Cowboys from Hell.

Cowboys from Hell (1990)

While we were writing the songs for Cowboys from Hell, we were listening to a lot of different kinds of music—a lot of Metallica, Slayer, Mercyful Fate and Minor Threat—and that changed our sound. We had grown such a huge following in Texas by then that we could play one set a night and draw 2,000 people. Since we didn’t have to play six shows a night anymore, we had more time to spend in the Abbotts’ studio [Pantego Sound], and we became total perfectionists.

Vinnie would lay down all the drums, then Dime would play guitar. We’d put the bass on last. We turned all the drum channels off, and I just played along with Dime’s track. That became known as “the microscope.” If something was off, we’d get a razorblade and cut and splice the tape. We didn’t have Pro Tools back then. And that’s what created our trademark sound, where the guitar and bass are just spot-on.

By that point, Dime had already surpassed all of his influences as a player, and we were making a lot of money playing Friday and Saturday nights within a radius of Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Shreveport and New Orleans. Then, after getting turned down 29 times, we finally got signed to Atco. The thing is, that actually made our financial situation worse at first. We weren’t playing shows, so we didn’t have any money coming in. So I had to get a job. Me and our lighting guy, Sonny, got gigs putting up lights for fashion shows. It actually turned out real cool. We met all these fashion models, got laid all the time and made a month’s rent a night.

But playing with Pantera back then was even better. We were such good friends, and our chemistry was undeniable. Dime would make these riff tapes on his four-track and bring them in, and we’d turn them into songs. One day, Dime came in with this tape loop of a lick he played over and over in a high register. It drove us crazy, because he wouldn’t stop playing it. That’s what became “Cowboys from Hell,” and it was the start of the power groove every band follows today.

As much as you still hear that song, when it came out no radio stations would play it. One of my favorite memories is when we did “Cemetery Gates.” Dime already had the riff in the song where it starts getting heavy, but we didn’t have an intro. One day, I picked up an acoustic guitar and messed around with a part, which we recorded.

We recorded a piano in reverse so that it created this big swell of sound at the end of the section. When we put the acoustic intro together with the heavy part, there it was. That was huge for us, and that’s how all those sessions went. We were all working together with Terry Date, who we liked a lot, even though our first choice was [famed metal producer] Max Norman. But he canceled at the last minute and we got Terry, who we bonded with from the start.

Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

When we got back from touring for Cowboys, the music scene had changed so drastically. You had Nirvana on one side and Metallica’s Black Album on the other. As good as that record is, it’s no Master of Puppets. We figured this was our chance to be the heaviest game in town. Dime had riffs pouring out of him. He’d bring them in, and it was hard to choose between them, because they were all so good.

One time, Dime and Phil walked out and smoked a joint and came back with the idea for “A New Level.” A couple hits of weed and we were all flying. It was so easy to play, but it was the chemistry we had that made it sound so good. That’s how it was with us. I mean, anybody can write something like “Walk,” but to play it like we did, with that groove—that’s pure chemistry. Even “Fucking Hostile” is totally brutal but hooky as hell.

This was the second record we did with Terry Date. He and Vinnie worked hand in hand to get the perfect sound, and Dime was writing riffs that were better than any band out there and taking his solos to an entirely new place. That record just came easy. All the riffs on Cowboys had been written by me and Dime.

Philip came in with his own ideas on Vulgar, and that made us even heavier. After it was mastered, we had a tape of the record and we put it in a cassette player and played it for everyone at the label, and their jaws hit the fucking ground. If you play an album for someone and they say, “Yeah, man, I fucking love it,” that’s cool. But when nobody says anything after it’s done and they all have blank stares on their faces, and then someone finally says, “Holy shit!” then you know you’ve done something great.

As blown away as everyone was by Vulgar Display of Power, it was the tour opening for Skid Row that changed everything for us. Vinnie had met up with them on tour and drank so much that he threw up all over their dressing room. But they had a good time, so they asked us to go on tour with them.

Philip was really resistant at first, and I told him, “Look, there’s two ways we can look at this. We can view it the hard way and say, ‘Fuck you all! We’re gonna tear you apart!’ Or we can take the crowd with us every fucking night,” which is what we did. We turned all these hair farmers into Pantera believers. Vulgar was our second real record, so no one could say Cowboys was a fluke. The songs came out at the right time, and we tore it up every night.

Far Beyond Driven (1994)

It would have been easy for us to write another Vulgar Display of Power, but fuck that. We wanted to try something completely different that was even heavier. We moved everything up to Jerry Abbott’s new place in Nashville, and that’s the first time we started taking breaks between recording. We’d do three or four songs, put them on tape, let them sink in and then go back in and do more.

That was about the time that Dime started messing around with the Whammy Pedal and Vinnie was getting completely crazy about getting this clicky sound on his drums, and that required a lot of takes and a lot of tweaking our sound. We drove Terry crazy. But we had been playing through the same gear for 500 dates between 1989 and 1994, so we felt it was time for experimentation, and we did tons of takes of everything, which is why it was our most expensive album to do.

“I’m Broken” was the first single. That was a classic southern groove, and we remixed that thing 16 times. But we were raging. Take a song like “Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills.” Where the fuck does that come from? Out of the blue! We just bashed it out. Dime came up with a lot of those riffs at soundchecks, and he wrote other ones on the shitter. He always had an acoustic guitar in the bathroom. He’d go in there to take a dump and come out with an amazing song. We also covered Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan.” I played keyboards on it and fretless bass. Vinnie played congas. And Dime’s solo…to this day, I can’t listen to it. Just talking about it chokes me up. And Dime did it first take.

Everything was happening. We renegotiated our contract with Warner Bros., and they gave us a huge amount of money each. When stuff like that happens, it can either ruin you and wipe the band out or you can bond together, which we did. Part way through the recording, we left Nashville and went back to Dallas Sound Lab, in Texas, and from then on it became one big fuckin’ party. We were boozin’.

Vinnie was doing a lot of Ecstasy. Me and Dime were just taking little dabbles here and there, but Vinnie was out of his mind, and he was co-producing this thing, so he’d sometimes get real crazy. It took a long time to finish the overdubs, because the brothers were partying so heavy, but we were still “all for one, one for all,” even though Philip had moved back home to New Orleans when he was done with his vocals. That removed him from the equation, which was probably a good thing.

The Great Southern Trendkill (1996)

Metal is a full-blown contact sport, especially the way we did it. So it was only a matter of time before Phil was gonna need something for the damage he caused himself. We used to jump 15 feet in the fucking air, and I’d usually land on my feet and feel the shock on my knees, which are shot now. But Philip would make these giant jumps and land on his fuckin’ ass. I used to always think, Fuck, man, that’s gonna hurt later.

Back then, we would wake and bake. That was just a given. So that made us a little foggy. But at one point, I noticed Phil was fuzzier than usual. One day when we stared doing The Great Southern Trendkill, he looked at me and slapped his armpit [a technique to inflate a vein prior to shooting heroin]. I went, “What!?” I’ve never stuck a needle in my arm. I used to watch some of my friends shoot up, but I would never do it. No way. I hadn’t seen that reference in 10 years, and Philip doing that at me made me go, Oh shit! I hope he’s not doing what I think he’s doing.

Sure enough, he was doing smack. And he was a wreck through the writing sessions of Trendkill. We were all so burned out by that point. A lot of the discipline and structure we used to have went out the window. I’m not crazy about two or three songs on the album, but there’s a lot of good stuff on it. It was all created very spontaneously. We didn’t go back and re-record anything.

That record was even more experimental than Far Beyond Driven. Far Beyond still had a coherent structure, and on Trendkill there was hardly any. Dime wasn’t even bringing riff tapes in anymore. So we winged it, and Terry just rolled tape, and a lot of the random stuff we captured is pioneering. And of course, the more we worked on them, the more cohesive the songs became.

It was the first time Philip didn’t track vocals with us, which left Dime leery, because he didn’t know what to do with the leads. But he got it done anyway, and it was killer. Just listen to “Floods.” That’s the three of us locked in, and it’s got all these different shades to it and all these dynamics, and Dime’s solo couldn’t be better. In the end, we were psyched about the record, and we toured it to fucking death.

Reinventing the Steel (2000)

Doing that album was closest we’d been in 10 years—since Vulgar or Far Beyond—to capturing what we wanted to do. We went, “Okay, let’s listen back and take the best elements of what we’ve done. Everyone pick your five favorite songs from each album, and let’s roll.” There were four different opinions of what we should do, but we tried to work within those confines, and we did a great record. But what we should have done instead was check into rehab and then, when we were all clean, get a real producer, instead of Vinnie Paul. At this point, Vinnie was trying to take control of everything.

His ego went through the roof. He didn’t want Terry Date involved. Where we used to drink for fun, we were drinking out of frustration, and during the sessions we were yelling at each other, throwing shit at each other, breaking stuff. Many times Dime was so fucking drunk, Philip would jump on him, and I’d have to jump on Phil. Somehow we made it through the record, and if you put it next to Far Beyond and Vulgar, you come out with something very close. Take a song like “Revolution Is My Name.” That could have been on Far Beyond Driven. And even though he wasn’t necessarily in a good place, Dime really came out of his hole and delivered.

During the recording, Dime had these cases of fucking ginseng. He would drink two or three of these bottles and stay up for days. Dime never did speed, cocaine or heroin. He smoked a lot of weed and did some acid. But he loved ginseng, and it made him fucking crazy. Rehearsal for the tour was surreal. Philip was so wasted, he’d be singing a different song than we were playing. He was always on for the shows, but touring was a nightmare.

Dime tried to get his own bus, because he couldn’t stand his own fucking brother anymore. Vinnie just kept booking shows, and we were touring with all the problems that went along with drug and alcohol abuse. Dime would blast the speakers out until 10 in the morning every day. You can’t sleep in a bus like that. So I went to Phil’s bus and stayed in the back lounge. He stayed in the front lounge, and we kept people out. Phil calmed down to a certain extent, even though he was drinking and smoking weed like it was going out of style.

We really all should have stopped, but there was so much money on the table, and that made everything worse. We’d drink so fucking hard trying to relieve the tensions of drinking so hard, and that sent everybody into a fucking spiral. After a show, I’d go smoke a joint and drink a glass of wine and go to bed instead of staying up and trying to get laid, which Vinnie was all about but couldn’t make happen. We didn’t know if we were coming or going. We just know we had another gig to do, so goddamn, you get up and you do it. None of us ever missed a show. Ever.

Photo: James Bland

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Jerry Cantrell Tells How Alice In Chains Buried Their Past with 'The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here'

Richard Bienstock — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:01:45 +0000

Jerry Cantrell tells how Alice in Chains buried their past with The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, a monster of an album unlike anything they’ve made before.

“We approach every new record the same way—by just fucking totally forgetting about the last one,” Jerry Cantrell says about the creative process within Alice in Chains. “You have to start from a zero every time.”

For Alice in Chains, of course, starting from zero hasn’t always been so easy. For a long time, the band’s past—both the highs and lows—has loomed rather largely in their present. Their last album, 2009’s Black Gives Way to Blue, was their first in more than a decade and had longtime fans champing at the bit to hear if it would stand up to Nineties-era classics like Facelift and Dirt.

It was also the band’s first release with singer William DuVall in place of deceased frontman Layne Staley. (In 2011, original bassist Mike Starr, who performed on Facelift and Dirt, also passed away.) But after such a long and tumultuous absence, Black proved to be a triumphant return for the band, debuting in the Top Five on the Billboard album chart and eventually going Gold.

Alice in Chains’ new and fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, is perhaps an even stronger effort. Recorded with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Deftones) at L.A.’s Henson Studios, the disc sports plenty of sludgy, piledriving midtempo rockers, like the mammoth first single “Hollow” and the harmonically skewed “Stone.” But several tracks—including “Voices,” “Choke” and “Scalpel”—exhibit the same type of beautiful acoustic/electric guitar blend and rich vocal-harmony work that characterized the band’s 1994 EP, Jar of Flies.

But Dinosaurs also pushes into more exotic waters, from the hypnotic and slow-building title track to the truly eerie “Hung on a Hook” to the crushingly metallic “Phantom Limb,” which boasts a minor-key riff that might not be out of place on a Slayer record—if it was being played at half speed. Essentially, it’s an album that sounds very much like Alice in Chains, but it also shows the band continuing to push forward.

“We’re really proud of this record,” Cantrell says. “It’s got all the elements of any record we’ve ever put out, but it’s also unlike any record we’ve ever put out.” Which is, he believes, as it should be. “The element that’s always going to remain the same is us,” Cantrell says. “And you have to trust that that element’s going to be there just from the simple fact that [bassist] Mike [Inez], [drummer] Sean [Kinney], William and I are in the same room playing together. We sound the way we sound. That’s not going to change. So you begin with that unified thing and then you just keep building. You start pulling shit out of your ass and see what happens.”

GUITAR WORLD: There’s been a really great response to the new material, in particular the first single, “Hollow.”

It’s just one of those nice surprises. It’s a big, meaty track, and it definitely displays a certain sound—the larger, more aggressive side of the band. We always like to come out with something like that first. So it was intended as a nice, fat, chunky album cut for the fans to get them excited for what’s to come.

That song is indicative of the Alice sound, but you also go in some different directions on this record. One song in particular that struck me is the title track, which cycles through a few vibes musically and has a lyric that delves into social commentary, touching on religion in particular. That’s a bit unusual for you guys.

As a band, whether you’re writing internally or whatever, you’re not only reflecting on what’s going on with you but also what’s going on around you. And I think that lyric element has always been there with us, if you’re listening for it. I would say “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here” is right in line with the spirit of Alice as far as the subject matter is concerned. You can go back to our first hit, “Man in the Box,” and there are elements of that same way of thinking. It’s always been kind of unbelievable and funny to us that a lot of stupid and hateful beliefs get perpetuated. And I remember with “Man in the Box,” we had a couple picketers here and there. But it’s like that old joke: What are the two things you don’t want to get in an argument with anyone about? Religion and politics. It’s a hot-button topic that ignites conversation and strong opinions.

What gear did you use on the new album?

My G&L Rampage and Les Paul were the main guitars, but I wasn’t married to anything specific. There’s also SGs, Vs, Teles, Rickenbackers, Fenders, Guilds—all sorts of things. A lot of baritone, too. Amp-wise, I’ve been using the Dave Friedman [the custom “Marsha”] amp for the last couple years. And I’ve always been a big Bogner fan and used a lot of those on the record, too. Between those two, that was the core sound, for sure.

But we probably used more amps on this album than on the last one. There’s Orange, Hiwatt, Soldano, some Marshall. There’s a bunch of [Vox] AC-30 on the record. We had about seven or eight heads hooked up and ready to go in any configuration we needed, and we just experimented as we went along. We could dial in whatever guitar/amp combo worked for whatever song, because the song generally tells you what it needs.

One of the hallmarks of your guitar style has always been your use of wide note bends, in particular the way you incorporate them into riffs. You can hear examples of it in new tracks like “Stone” and going all the way back to Facelift songs like “It Ain’t Like That.” Where does that element come from?

It’s hard to say. Really, it’s just what I do. I guess I’ve always been a fan of Tony Iommi, and that bend at the beginning of “Iron Man,” that’s an early example right there. But it’s just something I’ve naturally done for a lot of years. The riff in “It Ain’t Like That,” that’s based around a bend that was actually a joke. I remember at rehearsal, I got pissed off about something and I made some noise. I did that reverse strum on the E chord with a bend on the G. I was dicking around, and all the guys looked at me, like, “That was cool! Do that again!” And I was like, “I was fucking joking, dude!” [laughs]

Then when Layne started playing guitar a bit, he picked up on that element as well. He put some of those bendy riffs into “Hate to Feel” and “Angry Chair” [both from Dirt]. It’s something that’s always appealed to us sonically. There’s a real tortured element there when you slow bend into a note and hold it to get some sort of dissonance. It just sounds lumbering, like a sick fucking mammoth.

Another trademark of your sound is the use of drop D tuning. I spoke with Kim Thayil recently and he recalled having conversations with you about the tuning early on in both bands’ careers.

I’ve read a couple of times where he likes to take credit for teaching me that! [laughs] I’m a huge Soundgarden fan, and a fan of Kim’s as well, and we would have a lot of conversations about the tuning. But actually, I learned it from Eddie Van Halen, who used it on “Unchained.” That’s the first time I remember hearing it. Like, ‘What the fuck is that?’ Especially with the flanger on that thing as well. That was just amazing. But it’s just a cool tuning. It gives you that extra low weight, and you have the ability to chord across with a single finger while doing other things with your smaller fingers.

As much as you’re known as a guitarist, your vocals are just as essential to the Alice in Chains sound. Your voice and William’s blend really well on the new record.

We basically split the vocals, and we split them the last time, too. It’s always been a hallmark of this band—the dual-vocal blend, and also two guys who can carry a song as lead vocalists. And with William it totally works. He’s a really talented guy. Another aspect to William is the guitar. Layne played a little guitar, and he was playing more at the end. But William brings an added element there as well. He’s a very interesting and unique guitar player.

Do you feel that you still have to contend with people regarding him as the new guy?

I think there’s a handful of people that just can’t fucking move on and can’t get over the fact that we’ve got someone new in the band. It happened, people! You have to move on in life. And I think, with William, there are people that are looking at it unfairly. He’s not trying to be Layne, and he never has tried to be Layne. If you compare their voices, they don’t sound anything alike. Just like Bon Scott and Brian Johnson don’t sound anything alike, but it’s still AC/DC. That’s probably the best comparison I can make. There’s a way this band sounds and a way this band writes songs.

And William has lent his talent and gotten onboard to help us continue that legacy. We’ve continued to move forward without losing the identity of ourselves. That’s a tough thing to do but we’ve been able to do it. And I think we’ve proven ourselves. So it’s all laid to rest as far as I’m concerned. We’re making good music, and as long as that’s the case, there’s no reason to do anything else.

Photo: Kevin Scanlon

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Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time Readers Poll: Round 1 — "Floods" (Dimebag Darrell) Vs. "Hot for Teacher" (Eddie Van Halen)

Damian Fanelli — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:51:44 +0000

A few years ago, the editors of Guitar World magazine compiled what we feel is the ultimate guide to the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.

To quote our "Stairway to Heaven" story that ran with the list, "If Jimmy Page is the Steven Spielberg of guitarists, then 'Stairway' is his Close Encounters."

Today, guitar solos by two bona fide guitar heroes go head to head: Dimebag Darrell's work on Pantera's "Floods" (19) is up against Eddie Van Halen's "winged" solo on Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" (46). Get busy! You'll find the poll at the bottom of the story.

Yesterday's Results

Winner: "Crazy Train" (74.71 percent)
Loser: "War Pigs" (25.29 percent)

Round 1, Day 9: "Floods" Vs. "Hot for Teacher"

19. “Floods”
Soloist: Dimebag Darrell
Album: Pantera—The Great Southern Trendkill (Elektra, 1996)

“That particular solo was thought-out in a more orchestrated fashion than some of the others I play where I just start ripping right off the bat,” says Dimebag Darrell. “The thing that really makes the ‘Floods’ solo come across like it does is [bassist] Rex’s playing behind it. He’s using his fingers and he plays a whole bunch of cool licks and shit in there. He definitely adds to the vibe and feel of my lead because I’m playing off his part a lot—it was a great foundation for me to build on.”

To fatten up the sound of the catchy arpeggiated theme that fills the first eight bars of his lead, Darrell doubled the part. “I picked up the idea of doubling from Randy Rhoads. It seemed appropriate to start off in a slow, melodic fashion and then build and build and build to the climax with the big harmonic squeals at the end.

"For that last big note I think there’s four guitars going on. There’s a squeal at the second fret of the G string, a squeal at the fifth fret of the G and then I used a DigiTech Whammy Pedal on two-string squeals at the harmonics at the fourth and 12th frets of the G and B strings, I believe. That was one of those deals where I didn’t plan it out. I just sat there and fucked with it until it sounded right.”

46. "Hot for Teacher”
Soloist: Eddie Van Halen
Album: Van Halen—1984 (Warner Bros., 1984)

“I winged that one,” says Eddie Van Halen. “If you listen to it, the timing changes in the middle of nowhere. We were in a room playing together and I kind of winked at the guys and said, ‘Okay, we’re changing now!’ Because I don’t count, I just follow my feelings. I tend to do a lot of things in threes and fives, instead of fours.

“My weird sense of time just drives my brother Alex nuts because he’s a drummer, so he has to count. But generally he’ll say, ‘Well, Ed, you did it in five again. If that’s the way you want it…’ But that’s not the way I want it, that’s just what feels right to me.”

Voting Closed!

Winner: "Floods" (71.98 percent)
Loser: "Hot for Teacher" (28.02 percent)

Please check out our current Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time poll at GuitarWorld.com!

Head HERE to see all the matchups that have taken place so far!

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10 Underappreciated Paul McCartney Songs

Damian Fanelli — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:50:48 +0000

"When I'm Sixty-Four"? That's so seven years ago. Paul McCartney turns 71 today, June 18.

With that in mind, you'll probably come across a host of online tributes that laud the former Beatle's longevity, countless achievements and best-loved songs.

But while the masses will most likely praise "Band on the Run," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Live and Let Die" and "Silly Love Songs" (well, maybe not "Silly Love Songs"), I'd like to draw attention to 10 tracks from McCartney's solo career — a career that started 43 years ago, by the way — that just don't get the love and attention they deserve in 2013.

They are presented in chronological order, according to their official release dates.

"Oh Woman, Oh Why," B-side of "Another Day" (Paul McCartney, 1971)

In February 1971, McCartney released "Another Day," his first single as a solo artist. It was a mostly acoustic, observational, "Eleanor Rigby"-style affair — just light and fluffy enough for John Lennon to take a swing at in "How Do You Sleep?" from Imagine.

On its flip-side, however, was "Oh Woman, Oh Why," a fun yet lonely-sounding bluesy rocker in A. McCartney's gritty, screaming vocal, which is right up there with his work on "Oh! Darling," adds a healthy dose of authenticity to the track. The fake gunshot sounds have the opposite effect.

The song is the first in a long line of non-album McCartney B-sides that includes "The Mess," "I'll Give You a Ring," "Sally G," "Flying to My Home," "I Lie Around" and "Rainclouds." It has been included on several CD incarnations of Ram, including the 2012 Ram Special Edition.

[[ Did you miss the Guitar World with Paul McCartney on the cover? It's available now at the Guitar World Online Store. ]]

"Eat At Home" from Ram (Paul and Linda McCartney, 1971)

John Lennon wasn't too crazy about McCartney's supposedly lightweight early '70s output, but he did like "Eat At Home," calling it his favorite track on Ram.

The song, with its twangy riff and bountiful guitar parts, could've been a hit single for McCartney; instead, it'll go down in history as merely another album track. And while McCartney and his band have dug up and dusted off the album's opener, "Too Many People," on recent tours, the equally deserving "Eat At Home" is still waiting for its moment in the spotlight.

By the way, a previously unreleased live version of "Eat At Home / Smile Away" from Wings' 1972 tour is available on the iTunes version of the recently released Ram Special Edition.

"The Mess," B-side of "My Love" (Wings, 1973)

Excluding unreleased material, it doesn't get much more obscure than "The Mess," a live track recorded in 1972 and released as the B-side to "My Love" in March 1973.

It's a danceable ode (as the video below proves) that probably started out as several different song ideas that got grafted together in typical McCartney fashion ("The Pound Is Sinking" from Tug of War is another example of the McCartney patchwork method).

"The Mess" was originally meant to be included on Wings' Red Rose Speedway album (It was supposed to be a double album at one point), and there's even a studio version of the song out there somewhere.

"Big Barn Bed" from Red Rose Speedway (Wings, 1973)

Speaking of Red Rose Speedway, here's that album's opening track, "Big Barn Bed."

Like several of McCartney's much more successful tunes, "Big Barn Bed's" simplicity is its strong point, right down to Henry McCullough's basic guitar riff in the song's intro. The soaring harmonies, shimmering acoustic guitars and weird but fun lyrics about big barn beds (huh?) and leaping armadillos don't hurt, either.

As a side note, McCullough, Wings' original lead guitarist, recorded a new version of "Big Barn Bed" for his 2011 solo album, Unfinished Business. But, um, you should probably start with the Wings version.

"Famous Groupies" from London Town (Wings, 1978)

On 1978's "Famous Groupies," McCartney goes into semi-comedic storytelling mode to recount the tale of a fictional pair of notorious groupies who do some pretty horrible things to the music-biz gents they supposedly adore:

"There was a classic story of a roadie named Rory / who used to practice voodoo on the side / when the famous twosome suggested something gruesome / All that they found was a crater two miles wide / Which left the music business absolutely horrified."

"Famous Groupies" is joined by other gems on London Town, including the forgotten single, "I've Had Enough"; the Elvis-inspired "Name and Address"; and the deep, dark and awesome "Morse Moose and the Grey Goose."

"Spin It On" from Back to the Egg (Wings, 1979)

Although the Back to the Egg album cracked Billboard's Top 10 in 1979, it took a beating from critics, something McCartney still mentions in interviews. Big-shot reviewer Robert Christgau gave it a "C," and Allmusic won't budge on its tepid two-star rating.

It's all a bit incongruous, really, since many McCartney fans (myself included) consider it their favorite McCartney album. If nothing else, it is Wings' most rocking album, with heavy tracks like "Old Siam, Sir," "So Glad to See You Here" and "Getting Closer" setting the tight, overdriven, solid tone.

"Getting Closer" and "Arrow Through Me" got some FM airplay, and "Rockestra Theme," a thunderous instrumental featuring John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Pete Townshend and David Gilmour, earned a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. But "Spin It On," an unassuming little album track that clocks in at 2:13, is one of the album's hidden highlights.

It features some superlative playing by Wings' two newest members, drummer Steve Holly/Holley (I wish Steve would contact me and finally solve the Holly/Holley mystery) and the immensely gifted lead guitarist Laurence Juber, who's now considered a fingerstyle master. In fact, its too-brief guitar solo represents Juber's shreddingest moment as a member of Wings.

"On the Way" from McCartney II (Paul McCartney, 1980)

McCartney briefly topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1980 with "Coming Up," a song that battled it out with Lipps Inc.'s "Funkytown." (Why do I know this stuff?)

But besides "Coming Up" and, to some degree, the album's second single, "Waterfalls," the rest of McCartney II has faded into the land of early '80s obscurity. Which is a shame, particularly in the case of "On the Way," a stark, blues-based number that features McCartney on heavily delayed vocals, bass, drums and lead guitar.

And while no one is implying that the former Beatle is some great, unheralded bluesman, he does a pretty nice job on this track, especially in the terms of the guitar work.

For more examples of McCartney's lead guitar playing, check out this story about his top five guitar solos on Beatles songs.

"Souvenir" from Flaming Pie (Paul McCartney, 1997)

McCartney has released several "return to form" and/or "comeback" albums during his solo career, including 1982's Tug of War, 1989's Flowers In the Dirt, 1997's Flaming Pie and 2005's Chaos and Creation In the Backyard.

Flaming Pie, in particular, was lauded for its near-Beatles-level of quality (It even features Ringo Starr on several tracks and non-album B-sides). And while the album's title track and singles ("The World Tonight" and "Young Boy") enjoyed a good share of the spotlight, stronger tracks like "Souvenir" were generally overlooked.

This classy ode to Motown singles of a bygone era sports some gritty vocals and a meaty guitar riff during the choruses.

"A Love for You" from The In-Laws: Music from the Motion Picture (Paul and Linda McCartney, 2003)

The catchy "A Love for You" was recorded during the Ram sessions in 1971 but didn't make it onto the album, proof that McCartney throws away more decent songs than most artists write.

Fans discovered the song in the '80s when Cold Cuts, an official collection of unreleased McCartney songs recorded from 1971 to 1980, was leaked, bootlegged and finally abandoned by McCartney. The song didn't get its first proper release until 2003, when it appeared on the soundtrack album for The In-Laws, the so-so Michael Douglas/Albert Brooks comedy.

A different mix of the song turned up in 2012 as part of the Ram Special Edition release.

"That Was Me" from Memory Almost Full (Paul McCartney, 2007)

While Ringo Starr can't keep from making inane Beatles and Liverpool references on his last few solo albums, McCartney rarely looks back, lyrically, at least.

But in "That Was Me," a song from his critically acclaimed 2007 album, Memory Almost Full, the former Beatle recalls his early, sweaty days on the way up, basically saying, "You know that young mop-topped Beatle guy in those ol' B/W videos? That was me, this older guy you're looking at now. All that stuff actually happened, and sometimes I have a hard believing it myself."

But besides the fun blast from the past, the song has an ultra-cool bass line, a serious groove and a catchy, scat-style chorus reminiscent of "Heart of the Country."

[[ No band made a bigger mark on the 20th century than The Beatles. Guitar Legends: The Beatles takes you through the band's history, walks you through the making of three albums via interviews with the people who were there and gives you insights into the playing styles of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. It's available now at the Guitar World Online Store. ]]

Damian Fanelli is the online managing editor at Guitar World. His New York-based band, The Blue Meanies, plays "Eat At Home," "The Mess" and other forgotten stuff.

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Creedence Clearwater Revival: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Guitar Styles and Techniques of John and Tom Fogerty

Guitar World Staff — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:15:22 +0000

Dave Rubin's Creedence Clearwater Revival: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Guitar Styles and Techniques of John and Tom Fogerty teaches the trademark riffs and licks behind 12 of CCR's biggest hits.

Songs include:

• Bad Moon Rising
• Born on the Bayou
• Down on the Corner
• Fortunate Son
• Green River
• Lodi
• Lookin' Out My Back Door
• Proud Mary
• Who'll Stop the Rain

... and more.

Creedence Clearwater Revival: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Guitar Styles and Techniques of John and Tom Fogerty is available now at the Guitar World Online Store for $22.95.

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Tapper's Delight: 20 Challenging Tapping Licks

Guthrie Govan — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:18:35 +0000

Fretboard tapping has earned a bad name in certain sectors of the guitar community. Some players dismiss it as a technique suitable only for perpetrating the worst possible kind of overblown, unmusical histrionics, preferably played through a wall of amps that “go to 11.”

If you feel that way, then you probably haven’t even managed to read this far. But for those of you who are still undecided about tapping, I would urge you to view the technique simply as an easy way to play notes you could never reach otherwise.

If you think of your tapping fingers as extensions of your fretting hand, you’ll find it easier to imagine how this technique can benefit virtually any style of playing.

Track Record

In the world of rock, Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 debut album heralded a tapping craze that soon caught on like wildfire. In the years following the album’s release, gifted guitarists such as Randy Rhoads, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai used the technique in their own landmark recordings. If you want to hear tapping taken to new heights of invention, check out Freak Kitchen by Mattias Eklundh and Normal by Ron Thal (a.k.a. Bumblefoot).

Tone

For tapping, many players opt to use their guitar’s bright-sounding bridge pickup and a heavily distorted, or at least overdriven, tone, which serves to compresses the dynamic (volume) range of the electric guitar’s signal, amplifying the quieter notes and increasing sustain, although players like Stanley Jordan manage to tap with a very clean, neck-pickup sound. When tapping with a clean tone, you’ll find that a compressor can even out dynamics and add sustain.

Technique

Most tapping is performed on one string at a time using either the middle or index finger of the picking hand, depending on if, and how, you’re holding a pick. Some players will momentarily tuck the pick into their palm or cradle it in the crook of one of their knuckles when they go to tap and maneuver it back into its normal position (typically between the thumb and index finger) when they go to pick again.

This magician-like sleight-of-hand can take a bit of practice to attain, and for this reason many players prefer to just keep the pick in its normal place and tap with the closest available finger, typically the middle. Experiment and use whichever technique works best for you. Eddie Van Halen holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger and taps with his index finger, and Rhoads tapped with the edge of his pick, which produces a very distinct articulation. (Listen closely to Rhoads’ classic solos in Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and “Flying High Again” to hear the subtle difference in his tapping attack.)

Your speed and proficiency will increase if you minimize your movements and keep all relevant fingertips close to the strings when not in use so that they never have far to go at any given time. Depending on whether or not you’re holding a pick when tapping, you may find that resting, or “anchoring,” the thumb or heel of your tapping hand to the top side of the fretboard helps stabilize and steady the hand and increase the accuracy of your tapping movements.

The easiest way to train the fingers of your tapping hand is to learn from the way you perform hammer-ons and pull-offs with the more experienced fingers of your fretting hand. The following principles hold true for both hands:

• If you’re hammering a note, the force of your hammering motion will dictate its volume. The harder you hammer/tap, the louder the note.
• If you’re pulling off to a note, its volume is a function of how far you flick the string sideways (either toward the floor or ceiling) with the finger responsible for fretting the preceding note. This sideways flicking, or pulling, motion actually serves to pluck the string again and is what keeps it vibrating. If you were to just lift the finger directly off the string, the following note would be weak and barely audible. (Note that when tapping with a pick, the “pulled-off” note tends to be louder than normal due to the pick’s hard surface striking the string.)

Muting

Distortion amplifies the sympathetic vibrations of unfretted strings. When tapping, you should make a concerted effort to dampen any idle strings with various parts of both hands, something that requires a bit of practice and experimentation to figure out and master. To that end, many players will place a piece of foam or fabric against the strings in front of the nut. In addition, a cheap elastic-core hair tie stretched over the headstock and positioned over the fretboard is convenient for damping the open strings.

If you’re new to tapping, allow your fingertips time to toughen up and develop the necessary calluses. Hopefully, the rest will become clear as we go. We have a lot of licks to look at in this lesson, ranging from classic hard rock and metal lines to sequencer-like patterns and bluesy runs to jazzy arpeggios, so let’s dive in.

This is arguably the most versatile approach to tapping. A lick like this could sit comfortably in any rock, metal, blues, country or fusion context without necessarily invoking visions of Eighties-era spandex fashion statements. The recorded performance of this example on this month’s CD-ROM may sound reminiscent of Eddie Van Halen’s tone, but players of diversely different styles, ranging from Billy Gibbons, Brian May and Larry Carlton, have all dabbled in this approach.

There’s a strong argument here for using the middle finger of your pick hand to tap. By doing so, you can retain the pick in its conventional position and easily revert to picking at a moment’s notice. You can improve your accuracy if you anchor the heel of your tapping hand to the wound strings. This will also help mute unwanted string vibration while it allows you to keep a grip on the pick.
One tricky aspect of tapping a bent note like this is that the string moves closer to its neighbor (in this case, the D string), so you have to be extra careful to ensure that your tapping finger only makes contact with the G string. Try to bend the G string with your fret-hand ring finger while you simultaneously push the D string up slightly with the tip of that hand’s middle finger. This can help create more clearance between the two strings and provide a little more margin for error.

The following five examples serve as a great tapping primer, and there’s no other way to play arpeggio ideas like these with the same level of fluidity.

FIGURE 2 presents a classic Van Halen–style single-string triad tapping lick. This is the famous “Eruption” triad. To make this sound effective, the tapping finger must execute a strong pull-off as it leaves the ninth fret, thus ensuring that the Cs at the second fret rings out as prominently as its predecessor. You should also attempt to preserve a strict triplet rhythm, with every note equal in duration and volume.

Incidentally, there’s no single “right” way to execute a pull-off with the tapping finger. Some players prefer to flick the string upward, while others find it easier to flick it downward. Experiment with both approaches to find out which integrates more easily with the natural angle of your tapping hand and allows you to dampen the idle strings more effectively.

FIGURE 3 is a variation on the previous figure. Here, the order of two notes played by the fretting hand is reversed. It’s important that you become familiar with both approaches so that you can move on to ideas like the one shown in FIGURE 4, where the arpeggio goes all the way down and back up again, enabling you to move away from the ubiquitous triplet rhythm and phrase licks in even 16th notes.

Here’s another twist, reminiscent of Van Halen’s tapping licks in “Spanish Fly” and “Hot for Teacher” and Satriani’s “Satch Boogie.” In this lick, the first finger of your fretting hand has to pull off to the open A string, preferably without disturbing the D string in the process. As ever, careful attention to damping and accurate timing of each note are the keys to making this lick flow clearly. To sound the very first note, pluck the open A string with your tapping finger. Once you’ve gotten the string moving, all the subsequent open A notes are pulled-off to with the fretting hand.

FIGURE 6 demonstrates how you can outline a chord progression with triad inversions. Notice how the lick lets you arpeggiate four different chords without moving either hand far from its starting point. This is done by analyzing the component notes of each chord and placing them so that they all fit into roughly the same area of the fretboard.

The tapping sequence is similar to that found in FIGURE 5, but since we’re tapping the highest note twice, the sequence is now six notes long. Players such as Rhoads and Nuno Bettencourt have used this variation to great effect.

This next example isn’t reminiscent of any rock players and is intended to show how you can use tapping to create something a little bit different. If you start by looking purely at the B-string notes, you’ll see that the tapped notes outline a rhythm known in Latin music as the 3:2 clave: if you’re a fan of the bossa nova style, you’ll have heard this rhythm before. In this example, the fretting hand essentially does whatever is needed to fill in the gaps between the all-important tapped notes.

Once you’re familiar with the phrasing pattern, include the notes on the high E string, which adds a harmony to the B-string notes. Try tapping with either your index and middle fingers or the middle and ring (on the B and high E strings, respectively). The trickiest part here is arching your fret-hand fingers sufficiently so that the open E string is not muted by the underside of your index finger. Try to think like a classical player, keeping the thumb of your fretting hand based around the middle of the back of the neck.

FIGURE 8 demonstrates how you can use tapping in conjunction with finger slides to cover a lot of the fretboard in a short amount of time and achieve a smooth legato effect. The note choice here is derived from the A Aeolian mode (A B C D E F G), but you can design similar licks using the notes of any seven-note scale.

At slow speed, it can be tricky to squeeze seven evenly spaced notes into each beat—most of the popular music we hear tends to divide the beat into twos, threes or multiples thereof, so a grouping of seven might sound a little unfamiliar—but you’ll find that this becomes less of a problem at faster tempos. Simply aim to nail each new beat with a tapped note, and you’ll find that the notes in between will tend to distribute themselves evenly as you speed things up.

Here’s an interesting twist on the single-string scalar tapping approach. The first 10 notes look normal enough, but by the 11th you see that the fretting hand has leapt past the tapped note, to the 12th fret to perform a fret-hand tap, also known as a “hammer-on from nowhere.” The tapped note needs to be held at the 10th fret as the fretting hand quickly zooms up to the 12th fret, and you’ll need to be careful to ensure that the two hands don’t collide.

This lick won’t be for everyone, and it’s not particularly easy. On the other hand, it’s a useful approach whenever you’re trying to work out a fingering for something and it feels like you simply don’t have enough strings. This bypassing technique also has a certain flamboyant visual appeal, so it should come as no surprise to learn that Steve Vai was employing it as far back as the early Eighties.

This example is inspired by Bumblefoot. The important part here is the first half of bar 1; the lazy approach would be to play two evenly spaced groups of five, but you get a wholly different effect if you prolong the two D notes (at the 10th and 22nd frets) and squeeze all the other notes into a shorter space of time. If you’re having trouble with the seven-fret stretch here, you could instead play 13-15-16-17 on the first string instead of 13-15-17-20. It doesn’t sound quite as cool to me, but it’s still a great lick.

Regarding the rhythmic phrasing of this lick, in FIGURE 8 we saw how an odd number of notes tends to be distributed evenly throughout a beat as you increase speed. Sometimes, however, it can be fun to resist that tendency and preserve a more distinct rhythmic contour, as we do here. The ear can still identify distinctions between the rhythmic values of the notes even when they are played at ridiculously high speeds.

Here’s something a little more conventional. The idea is to play a blues lick with the fretting hand while highlighting certain notes by tapping them an octave higher. This is somewhat reminiscent of Nuno Bettencourt’s or Mattias Eklundh’s soloing styles.
The most challenging aspect of this lick is that you have to clearly and loudly hammer the first note on each new string with your fret-hand’s index or middle finger. This may feel a little weird at first, given that the index finger spends the bulk of its time acting more like a fleshy capo rather than as an independent hammering digit, so focus on executing the first-finger hammer-ons as cleanly as possible. This will be time well spent, as some of the subsequent licks will require much the same skill.

With regard to the final bent note: your tapping finger’s only role here is to hammer the note and then keep the string pushed down onto the fret while the fret-hand middle finger bends the string. As indicated, hammer the last note in the bar 1 with your middle finger, but once the tapped note has been initiated, there’s no harm in enlisting the fret hand’s ring finger to assist with the bend. As always, do whatever it takes to perform the job with the least amount of effort, pain and intonation issues.

Now for some more Van Halen–style fun. This lick is loosely modeled on a famous lick from “Hot for Teacher,” and it’s based on the A blues scale (A C D Ef E G). As with FIGURE 5, there’s a strong argument in favor of plucking the first note of the lick with your tapping finger. After that, each new string is greeted by a hammer-on, courtesy of the fret-hand’s ring finger. Hopefully you’ll find this easier than the first-finger hammering required in the previous example.

FIGURE 13 illustrates a scalar fingering approach favored by players like Greg Howe (who is featured in this month’s Betcha Can’t Play This, page 32). The fingering doesn’t incorporate any particularly wide intervals, and you could feasibly play the whole of the first two bars using strict left-hand legato, but by using the tapping hand to share some of the work you should be able to get more volume out of the lick while sparing your fretting hand from undue fatigue.

Here’s the downside: the tapped notes often fall in unusual places within the bar (rather than, say, on the downbeats), so this approach may feel a bit unnatural at first. Having said that, Howe’s exemplary playing is ample testimony to what can be done with this approach if you devote some time to it.

Here’s another scalar tapping concept. Most players would simply hammer the first note on each string with the first finger of the fretting hand, but the approach suggested in the tab here is based on the way Reb Beach (of Winger, Dokken, Night Ranger and now Whitesnake) would do it. Reb taps with his middle finger, so for ascending sequences he’ll use the ring finger of his tapping hand to pluck the first note on each new string. This may feel odd at first, but it undeniably gives you more volume and definition, particularly if you prefer not to use a lot of distortion.

If you go to any guitar show or music fair and head toward the “pointy guitar” booths, you’ll hear a veritable army of players churning out the following lick furiously and repeatedly. It’s a simple example of a “sweep-and-tap” arpeggio, which can be viewed in three sections.

Section 1 (the first five notes) involves dragging the pick downward across the strings in a single stroke to outline the first five notes of this C major arpeggio. Ideally, each fret-hand fingertip should relax slightly at the end of its designated note to ensure that only one note is ringing at a time. By moving the whole picking hand downward as you sweep, you should be able to utilize your palm for a bit of extra string damping. High-gain settings are pretty much de rigueur for this kind of lick, so you can never be too careful when it comes to muting unplayed strings with both hands.

Section 2 (beginning with the sixth note) requires that you hammer the G at the 15th fret while bringing your tapping finger into position. The first three notes of beat two should then remind you very much of what we did back in FIGURE 3.

Section 3 involves the last three notes of beat two. You could either sweep these notes with a single upstroke of the pick, or do what most players prefer and use fret-hand hammer-ons while repositioning the picking hand for the next big downstroke sweep on beat three.

Note that most of this lick involves techniques other than tapping, yet that one tapped high C note makes all the difference, adding a pleasingly soft quality to the top half of the arpeggio and contrasting nicely with the more percussive sound of sweep picking.

FIGURE 16 is an example of another approach to playing arpeggios, this one incorporating more taps, plenty of fret-hand hammer-ons and no sweeping whatsoever, resulting in a more fluid sound. Check out shredders like Scott Mishoe to hear this approach in action.
This example marks the first instance in which we’ve encountered a slid tapped note. You’ll find the key here is to slide with authority and to ensure the fingertip is constantly pushing on the string. Otherwise you run the risk of losing the note, particularly as you slide back downward. However, don’t press the tapping finger against the string any harder than is necessary, as doing so will create excessive friction that will slow you down and actually make the tap-and-slide more difficult than need be.

Here’s the same concept applied to a blues scale. Note that this and the preceding pattern are symmetrical, essentially featuring the same shape on each subsequent pair of strings.

This run starts out as a signature Paul Gilbert string-skipping lick, then moves into tapping territory. Musically, all the notes (apart from that pesky C in bar 2) are from a Gm7 arpeggio (G Bf D F), but the overall effect is closer to that of a warp-speed G minor pentatonic (G Bf C D F) blues lick. The slides toward the end of bar 1 span four frets, so they’re a little trickier than the single-fret slide in FIGURE 16, but the principle is the same.

Here’s another arpeggio-playing approach that incorporates string skipping and tapping. Michael Romeo of Symphony X is rather partial to this approach.

If you’re not averse to a bit of fret-hand stretching, FIGURE 20 offers a versatile approach to playing major seven arpeggios. It has the same symmetrical qualities as FIGURES 16 and 17 and incorporates string skipping by cramming each octave’s worth of Cmaj7 arpeggio notes (C E G B) onto a single string.